The Serpent and the Star
by SerpentineJ
Summary: What do you get when you throw a Snape fresh out of his Death Eater days, an Astronomy professor who gives as good as she gets, a twinkling Headmaster who's life goals seem to be to meddle in people's lives, and an insane murderer our for revenge? Scathing verbal attacks, jealousy, danger, blackmail, dueling, and .. Wait, romance? Where did THAT come from!
1. Chapter 1

The Serpent and the Star

"Professors of Hogwarts, I'd like to introduce you all to Severus Snape, our new Potions Professor" Dumbledore said formally.

A few people clapped.

Snape gave them a deadly glare.

They stopped.

"Now, I'm sure you've all heard the rumors of young Severus here being a Death Eater."

Flitwick appeared curious, as were many around the oak staff table where they planned their rebellion and, more recently, drank themselves silly at Voldemort's defeat. Even Pomona Sprout, Head of Hufflepuff and not one to make assumptions, was suspicious. Snape could see it all, written across their faces. Although he was over 10 years most of their junior, however, he was not afraid. He had Albus Dumbledore on his side after all. The rest of them would follow the "Leader of the Light" blindfolded into battle if he said it would defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

Severus, however, was not such a fool. He knew that although Dumbledore was extremely powerful, and was world-renouned, the esteemed Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was completely and totally insane in that Dumbledorish way of his. The lemon drops, the crazy dress sense, the benign smile, the toddling grandfatherly act, and that thrice-damned TWINKLE in his baby-blue eyes. They all lead to the same conclusion.

Snape was jerked out of his musings of the insanity of Albus Dumbledore when the man himself gently shook his shoulder. "Severus?" he queried, concern twinkling in those blasted eyes. "Are you quite alright?"

"Yes Albus, I'm fine." He replied scathingly. "As fine as anyone can be when they are lying to the Dark Lord and being Crucioed every fortnight."

There were gasps around the room. Severus Snape, Spy for the Light? It would certainly explain why Dumbledore had stood up for him during the trial that would've sent him straight to Azkaban otherwise. Minerva McGonagall's green eyes widened in disbelief and surprise, Filius Flitwick toppled off his stack of books with a squeak, Pomona Sprout put a hand to her mouth, and Poppy Pomfrey immediately bustled over to check for any lasting nerve damage from the Cruciatus.

Severus let her scan him, grumbling. When she was tutting over the results of the scan, he hissed to Dumbledore," You didn't tell them?"

"No, my boy. I thought you would rather reveal it on your own terms than have everyone fussing over you as soon as you arrived. Being a former Death Eater, I figured you would have preferred to deal with mistrusting glares than with pitying looks. Forgive me if I have made the wrong decision, and count it as a foolish old man's mistake." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he delivered this speech to Snape.

Severus bristled inside. Really, he was angry at himself, for being so easy to read. He couldn't really blame even himself for that, as he and Dumbledore had spent 3 weeks together over the summer making plans, and now regarded the barmy old man as something like a father. Heaven knows Tobias Snape was more of a jailer than a father. He could only dream that the twinkling codger thought of him as a son.


	2. Chapter 2

The Serpent and the Star

Severus Snape rolled his eyes. He was currently weathering a tirade from Madame Pomfrey, or Poppy as she had now demanded she call him, about the state of his health. "Really Severus (she had taken to calling him his first name, as had many of his new coworkers), you should care more about the state of your health. I am going to have to fill you up with Anti-Cruciatus potion just to get your body back to the state it should be in. And really, has working for You-Know-Who affected your ability to eat as well? You're at least 20 pounds under the weight of a healthy 24 year old man." The rest of the rant was pushed to the back of his mind, though his subconscious was paying attention and listing all the potions he'd have to take on a regular basis to get the tiniest bit healthier. While he was pondering whether he should be taking the Nerve Healing potion, as he was already taking the Anti-Cruciatus potion, he felt eyes boring into the back of his potion-greasy head.

A woman was leaning against the far wall, staring at him with a puzzled look in her chocolate-brown eyes. It was strange, being stared at, not with suspicion or disdain, but with curiosity. When she saw he had noticed her, she did not drop her gaze as he expected. Brown eyes met black, and for a moment, they held each other's gaze. Then she smirked at him (SMIRKED! At HIM!) and turned away to speak to Filius Flitwick. Flitwick was shooting curious looks at him, but She (As he did not yet know her name) merely made a dismissive gesture as if she didn't really care about it. By now Severus was grinding his teeth. Nobody had ever gotten an advantage over him in snark!

Albus Dumbledore watched the entire procession with amusement. He knew there was nothing between Sinistra and Snape but a small spark of rivalry… But if he fed that spark, and watched it grow… maybe fan it once in a while… it would grow into a blazing inferno. Which way the blaze would wave, he didn't know, but one thing was for sure. It would be an interesting year!

Severus came out of his trance. He realized he had been staring at Her for the entire time, and looked around for Dumbledore. If he was seen by the meddling old fool, he would probably think Snape had… dare he think it…._feelings_ for Her. Scanning the small group, he saw the manipulative coot in the corner, observing his and Her 'conversation'. And he was _twinkling_ at him! That was never good.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry I haven't been able to put an Author's Note up here! I'm SerpentineJ, and this is my story. Sorry the chapters have been so short! **

**I want to give my gushing, heartfelt thanks to Lup C, Miss Shannon, Daneva Snape, and Rise of Anarchy , who took the time of the day to read and follow my story. Love you all!**

**Also, great thanks to Hazel Sparks, who holds the title of First Favoritor!**

**And many, Many, MANY, ****_MANY_**** thanks to Miss Shannon, who followed, reviewed, PMed, and was an amazing person overall! I thank her for motivating this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Again, I have not put one of these up here. Sorry! I'm new! Please don't come after me with pitchforks and lawyers! Anyways, I am not blonde with a great imagination rolling in cash, so I am not Jo Rowling, so I don't own HP.**

The Serpent and the Star – Chapter 3

Severus sat in his new green and black quarters in the dank, dark dungeons with a drink in his hand, pondering Hogwarts. It was strange, being back here and not thinking about homework, Hogsmeade weekends, or curfew. Even stranger were the other staff members. Among fellow teachers, Minerva McGonagall didn't seem so strict, Pomona Sprout was downright cheery, Septima Vector was less bookish, even Trelawney, on the rare (Thank Merlin) occasion that she joined them was less dreamy. It seemed all the teachers had a façade to hide their real selves from the students. He knew he needed a mask as well.

As he reclined in the comfortable, yet dignified black leather wingback armchair by the flickering fire, Snape thought about the person he wanted to show his students. Surely something strict, as Potions was a very dangerous subject when mistakes were made. Perhaps strict in class, but sympathetic to the students.

Severus shook himself. Sympathetic? The tumbler of scotch in his hand must have muddled his thought process. He drained the glass, feeling the smooth drink slide down his throat, and stood to get ready for bed. He would think on the matter of his façade tomorrow.

Blinking open obisidan eyes, Snape woke to the mental tones of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. His subconscious always played this particular song at 6:30am to rouse him. This morning, however, the music was interrupted by a tapping on his skylight. When he looked for the source of the noise, he groaned; it was Citrea, Dumbledore's owl. Whenever the mail was unimportant enough, he would send Citrea instead of Fawkes. That and the Headmaster liked to keep the phoenix by his side. The owl tapped again. She had a slight figure, and was normal enough to not be singled out whereas everyone would know if somebody got mail delivered by Fawkes. Light tan feathers framed bright blue eyes as mischievous as her master's.

Severus groggily detached the letter from the offered leg, and broke open the lemon drop wax seal he used with all his staff. One scan of the first few sentences and Snape's eyes were widening to epic proportions.

"WHAT?!"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello there! So sorry for the awfully short chapters, but school is starting and, well, it's not so easy to write often in high school (And my keyboard is kinda uncooperative so it takes forever to proofread). Anyways, hugs to the devoted Miss Shannon and Daneva Snape for their wonderful reviews! Thank them for such a quick update.**

Within moments, Snape was pulling his (black) robes and scanning the room for the pot of Floo powder Albus had given him. Once he had located the little clay pot, he grabbed a pinch of the sparkling green powder and threw it into the fire.

"Headmaster's Office!" he enunciated into the roaring flames. When they turned green, e stepped through and was off.

Meanwhile, Minerva McGonagall, who was holding a welcoming gift for said elusive Slytherin, rapped smartly on the door to her newest colleague's office. When there was no answer, she was going to leave, but a word from Phillip Colby, a famous Potions Master from the 1600's and the portrait guarding the Potion Professor's rooms, stopped her.

"I think you should go and check on him, Minerva." She and Phillip were old friends, as he was also quite adept at Transfiguration and was never opposed to giving his opinion on the latest debate in Transfiguration Weekly. There was also a portrait of him in Minerva's office, as he had persued a Mastery in Transfiguration as well. "I heard an owl, then a bunch of thumps and a fire. Here, I'll let you in. But first, what's our keyword?" At her confused look, he said, "To make sure it's really you."

"Ah. Veriverto." Minerva said, and with a smile, Phillip let her in.

The first thing her brain registered upon entry of the Potion Master's quarters was the unnatural cleanliness. "Figures he would be a neat freak." She muttered, picking her way through the pristine room, being careful not to disturb anything.

The room had emerald green walls ("Typical Slytherin" Minerva said under her breath), a silky black rug on the cold stone floor, plush leather couches by a stone hearth with embers shining in the gloom, and an entire wall of books accompanied by a single black wingback chair. There were torches adorning the green walls, and three doors, one of which was disguised as a bookshelf. McGonagall recognized the false bookshelf at once, as she had one in her own rooms. It would lead to his office. The middle door had a small bronze plaque adorning the black wood, inscribed with a simmering cauldron. She assumed it opened into his private lab. That meant the last door was the door to his bedroom.

"Severus?" she called out softly. There was no response. "Severus Snape." She said, a little louder. Still not another noise, save the crackling of the torches on the walls, disturbed the silence of the rooms.

Thinking of something that would wake him and flush him out of hiding and into the open if he was there, Minerva, at the top of her voice, began to sing.

"99 BOTTLES OF MEAD ON THE WALL, 99 BOTTLES OF MEAD

TAKE ONE DOWN, PASS IT AROUND, 98 BOTTLES OF MEAD ON THE WALL!"

She stopped, and listened. Not a sound.

Warily, she poked her head into Snape's office. The feeling emanating from the décor was positively (Or negatively, if you thought about it, mused the Transfiguration Professor) gloomy. Dead, pickled creatures were stacked on the wooden shelves stuck to the walls. The torches in wall brackets were present here, too. In the middle of the room stood a large mahogany desk, on which stood a single sleek, black quill with inkpots full of red, green, and black ink.

Severus wasn't here, either.

Minerva ventured into the only unsearched room: the bedroom. Here, a large four-poster bed, black, and a tall dresser, also black, took up most of the available space. There was a fireplace ere, too, and when she inhaled through her nose, she could smell Floo powder. Ah. So he was gone.

Placing the wrapped gift (A bottle of her favorite Scottish whisky) on the small bedside table, she noticed a letter on the ground near the bed. Recognizing Dumbledore's loopy, narrow writing, she unfolded it to take a peek. Sure, it was unprofessional to read somebody else's mail, but it was from Albus.

She was curious.

The letter read:

My Dear Severus,

I hope you had a good time at the staff welcoming party last night. Of course, you didn't drink any of that lovely firewhisky Rolanda provided us, despite continuous badgering, but I daresay you downed a class of scotch or two when safely in your quarters.

Now, I noticed you glancing, or should I say staring, at Aurora Sinistra quite a lot. As you might want to know, she is a young lady at 23, and the Astronomy Professor. As a Slytherin, she is currently Head of House, for she was the only Slytherin teacher after Horace retired, but has expressed an interest in passing the title on to you. She is not ambitious for a Slytherin, but has sharp wit and an even sharper tongue. I daresay you two will be crossing swords quite often!

Do try to get out of the dungeons every once in a while? If I know you, and I flatter myself in thinking I do rater well, you will be attempting to hole yourself up for the remainder of the summer holidays. I would love to see you out and about!

PS: If you wish to see me, the password to my office is Fizzing Whizzbee.

Dearest Affection,

Albus

Minerva stared.

And re-read the letter.

There was a moment's pause before she doubled over in laughter, tears leaking down her cheeks. That meddlesome old fool!

"ALBUS!" Snape yelled, face… Well not red, but less pale in his rage.

"Mmm? What is it, my dear boy?" said the Headmaster, blue eyes amusedly twinkling.

" How DARE you infer that I have feelings OTHER than contempt for that… that infuriating.. woman?" the black-clad wizard seethed, nearly incoherent in his anger.

"Why, Sev'rus, you seem to 'ave developed… 'trong feelings 'n regards to Pr'fessor Sin'stra." Dumbledore said, sitting coolly in his chair.

"Albus… How did you come to that absurd conclusion? Is it your age? Perhaps all the candy is affecting your brain?" Snape drew breath as he made to continue his tirade, but stopped short.

"Albus? Why are you talking so stran- Are you floating?!" Snape exclaimed.

"'s the Fizz'ng Wh'zzbees, m'boy. 's the Fizz'ng Wh'zzbees."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello there! So sorry for the LONG wait! School and stuff are making a habit of getting in the way. But I'm back now!**

**Many, many thanks to Miss Shannon for her continuous feed back and to Lady Lanara for faving, following, AND reviewing! Lollipops to you both! O-**

The Serpent and the Star – Chapter 5

Severus Snape was not one to judge.

He had lived long enough as a spy to learn that a book's cover does not always show its contents, and it is a mistake, sometimes with dire consequences, to act based upon assumptions.

However, there was just SOMETHING about Aurora Auriga Sinistra that annoyed him to no end. Perhaps it was the smooth black hair that fell in loose curls to her shoulder blades, or the espresso-brown eyes, or the pale, graceful hands. Most likely, though, it was the smirk and the wit that was so similar to Snape's own.

This was reflected in their first (or second) meeting. During lunchtime, Snape had had the misfortune of being seated beside Poppy Pomfrey, who kept insisting he pile more and more food on his plate.

"Really, Severus, you must eat more!" she exclaimed, eying the half-eaten roll and meager heap of vegetables which currently resided on his golden plate. Severus shooed her away from his food thrice before giving in and allowing her to dump carrots, potatoes, peas and chicken on his platter by the forkful.

To escape her constant badgering about the state of his health, Snape had taken to hiding in his quarters, making his way through the expansive library Dumbledore had granted him in his quarters. There were potions books old and new, Defense Against the Dark Arts tomes with the latest hexes, jinxes and curses (many did not know dueling was a hobby of his), and Astronomy books, both myth and fact. His mother had lulled him to sleep with stories of Hercules and Orion, Artemis and Hydras. The stars had been a bit of beauty in those cruel summers, a handful of glittering stones to ease his pain as he stared at their majesties.

The only guests allowed in his quarters were Minerva McGonagall, who Severus had found to be a caring but not mollycoddling individual and a good person to share a firewhiskey or some scotch with, and Albus Dumbledore, who had the password and would come whether Snape wanted him to or not.

But today, when he was headed back to his quarter feeling uncomfortably full, though he had barely eaten half of what Poppy had put on his plate, he spotted a figure trailing behind him. Quickly, he spun around, brandishing his ebony wand, only to find Aurora Sinistra standing behind him.

"Why are you following me, Professor Sinistra?" he inquired with a scowl fixed on his face.

"I didn't get a chance to properly introduce myself at the welcoming party, but I see Albus has done it for me. Aurora Sinistra, Astronomy professor. And may I ask, what brand of grease have you dipped your head in? Your hair's looking marvelously lank." She smirked.

Snape glared at her. He even brought up the First-Year-Piss-In-Robes glare. She kept that smirk painted on her face, unperturbed.

"Well, I'm glad you noticed." He drawled, trying to appear bored. His calm words, though, were contrasting magnificently with his twitching eye.

"Oh, no." she blinked "It was less of a matter of me noticing then it catching the torchlight and half-blinding me."

And with that she swept away, her shoes making a delicate tapping sound against the stone floor of the dungeons.

Snape couldn't care less that his hair was probably shining with grease from all the potions and neglect, he told himself.

He did, however, wash his head a few times extra that night.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm SO sorry for the lack of updates! School is INSANE, and I've recently discovered tumblr and reddit. So, here's the next chapter! Chapter 7 might be a bit delayed, though not NEARLY as delayed as this one has been. Depends on when my muse strikes.**

The Serpent And the Star: Chapter 6

Severus glanced warily around the corner. For the past week, Albus had been attempting to get him into his office to talk about the little monsters known as students, and Poppy kept cornering him for long talks about his health. This meant even his own quarters were no longer safe, and he had taken to roaming the grounds and the Forbidden Forest and keeping an eye out for potions ingredients.

On the issue (hah! Issue didn't even begin to describe…) of the students, Snape had pondered the side of him he would reveal to the little brats. After much thought, he had decided he would simply glare and look menacing. That ought to stop a few of those incompetent Gryffindors from passing and would give him more subjects to insult.

Not all Gryffindors were all that bad, though. Minerva was tolerable, and did have quite the head for mischief, especially pranks involving Albus Dumbledore, and he retaliated in kind. Not a week of the summer holidays went by without Albus's slippers turning into mice, or his lemon drops being charmed to turn him into various tiny objects, or one of his trinkets smoking or, heaven forbid, exploding….. She had even once, when she was particularly angry about him turning all of her Ginger Newts into real newts, made his lemon drops sprout little legs and dance out of his reach whenever he grasped for them.

As Snape had learned, not all of the teachers were as….. old as he thought. Pomona Sprout always knew the latest gossip and loved to trick Filius Flitwick, and the tottery old Charms professor was capable of some pretty nasty spells in retribution. Victoria Vector seemed to have a sort of feud with Sybil Trelawney, and they would fight on the rare occasions the Divination professor wandered out of the North Tower. The DADA professor, Michael Fisher, seemed to have a love/hate relationship with the Muggle Studies professor, Charity Burbage.

And Aurora Sinistra. She was everywhere and nowhere. Sometimes Snape could swear he had heard the soft tapping of her black heels on the stone floors, but when he turned around, she was nowhere in sight. He found himself watching her at meals. Why he was so fascinated by the Astronomy professor, he didn't know. But—

"Severus?"

Drat! It was Dumbledore! Snape dodged behind a suit of armor, but—

"Ah, there you are! I've been meaning to speak to you."

…..Damn.

"What is it Dumbledore? Before you ask, yes I have my lesson plans done, yes I know what to do if the Dark Lord calls during class, yes I know how I shall handle the brats, no I will not kill any, and you can't help me with anything else."

Albus chuckled. I'm glad to hear that, Severus, but I simply wanted to tell you there's a staff meeting in the staff room at 5:00 this evening. I have something very exciting to show all of you!

And with that he swept down the corridor with his lime green, lemon patterned robes that were only a small part of his frankly alarming summer wardrobe, and out of sight.

The black-clad Potions Master sighed and sat down on a nearby bench. It was by a window with a rather stunning view of the Black Lake, and, enjoying the sunlight and the scenery, Snape let himself drift into his thoughts.

He sat like that for hours so when the clock chimed 5 o'clock, he didn't even stir from his reverie. Minutes later, however, he was shaken from the confines of his mind by a small, delicate hand on his shoulder. He followed the arm, and saw the face of the Astronomy professor looking disinterestedly at him.

"Snape." Aurora said in that honey-chocolate voice. "SNAPE. Snap out of it."

He shook himself. "What?"

She didn't reply, merely pointed at the clock. It read 5:10.

Severus bolted upright, robes flapping in an undignified manner around his ankles. He'd have to work on that. Perhaps have them specially tailored. It wasn't like he was short of money; he was the Prince heir after all.

Sinistra sighed. "Look, Snape. We've got to get going. Albus has another 'brilliant' idea he wants to share, and he won't do it without you there. Come ON."

He went. The spot where she had shaken him was…tingling a bit. He'd have to take a potion for muscle fatigue.

Albus was beaming and twinkling as Aurora, Snape in tow, strode through the tall oak doorframe of the staff conference room. There was obviously, Severus groaned, something Muggle related going on here: a set of Post-it notes was sat on the round cherry wood table at each of the wingbacked chairs.

"Now that everyone is here," Dumbledore said, "we can begin. I discovered a spell in one of my personal library's transfiguration scrolls and altered it a bit. I think this shall be a very interesting little experiment. You see, this spell, Spiritus, will transform a Post-it note, ingenious Muggle invention by the way, into your spirit animal, and you can use these animals to send messages. Essentially, it's a low-power patronus. I think it would be useful, and several of our staff cannot produce a patronus. Madame Pince, for instance."

The room was silent for a moment. Then, Minerva said," I think this is an excellent idea, Albus."

Dumbledore clapped his hands. "Well, let's get started, then!" he cried jovially. "I'll start, shall I?"

He whipped his wand out of his robes and waved it at a scarlet Post-it, muttering "Spiritus" under his breath. The paper square folded in on itself in complicated creases, coming out in the end as a small origami phoenix. It soared over to McGonagall, opened its beak, and said "Your turn!" in Albus's merry voice.

She chuckled and waved her wand at her gray post-it, which became a cat with a slightly haughty perk to its ears. It slinked over to Filius Flitwick and mewed, "Go, Filius."

Flitwick's mouse scurried over to Pomona Sprout, who in turn sent her elephant to Aurora.

Snape didn't know why he was paying so much attention to the animal that would spring from Sinistra's black post-it. He really didn't.

The square of paper creased multiple times, folding over itself to form the large wings and the delicate neck… of a black swan. It swam through the air to float gently before Severus.

No message was needed. He raised his ebony wand and enchanted his paper. It began to form sharp, hard creases. Snape looked at it, trying to find the familiar thin legs of his doe, but instead of four legs there were none. Instead, there were wings.

A black paper crane bobbed on the currents of magic around him.

Severus stared, mystified, at the bird in front of him. At a glance from Dumbledore, however, he snapped back to reality and sent his crane soaring towards Michael Fisher.

He spent the rest of the meeting puzzling the meaning of his animal change.


End file.
